Upcoming Releases, July

We're halfway through the summer season at the Box Office. There's been more duds than studs in the first two months. But there's reason for optimism in July.

Friday, July 7:
Spider-Man: Homecoming -- Since 2002, this is the sixth stand alone Spider-Man film featuring the third different cast. That might be enough for someone to say, I'll pass. The other reason might be the last two Spider-Man movies, which had "Amazing" in the title as some sort of irony I guess. But I'm actually excited for this for a couple reasons. First, Tom Holland looks like an ideal casting choice, maybe the best to play the part in the modern era. Second, this is Spider-Man from Marvel, not just Sony. While I loved the Sam Raimi-Tobey Maguire collaborations, this will be something else entirely. And having Robert Downey, Jr.'s Tony Stark along for the ride is the cherry on top.

Friday, July 14:
War for Planet of the Apes -- Do we need another "Planet of the Apes" movie? I think not. This one looks well made enough, but I just can't get excited for it. This was one of five movies I picked to be the bombs of summer. The previous four lived up to that "hype." This is probably the best of that group, so we'll maintain some semblance of hope.

Wish Upon -- A staple of the summer, and really any time of year, is the low-budget horror movie. They don't cost much, they have attractive teen stars, and they turn a profit. This film looks awful. It will still make a profit.

Friday, July 21:
Dunkirk -- The words "Christopher Nolan" are all I need to hear to know I'm all in on a movie. Seeing this cast (which includes Kenneth Branagh, Tom Hardy and Mark Rylance) along with the incredibly moving trailer did the rest. This is one of my picks for the best of summer and, perhaps, best of the year.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets -- This film comes from Luc Beeson, who's a talented action director that also gave us "The Fifth Element." It's based on a classic graphic novel that has supposedly been the inspiration for countless stories. That could be why the trailer looks like it contains all the unused footage from "Stars Wars, Episode I: The Phantom Menace." I am torn on this movie. Part of me wants to see it. Part of me thinks it could be a hot mess.

Girls Trip -- Another staple of summer is over-the-top adult comedies, and it recent years that's been heavily female fronted. This fits that mold. Comedies have struggled this summer, but this could be one to break out of the old.

Friday, July 28:
Atomic Blond -- Charlize Theron looks like a beast in this trailer, and James McAvoy looks like he's having a blast along for the ride. Those are promising signs. This looks like it could be a sneaky gem of summer.

The Emoji Movie -- I'm on record as saying animated films aren't my favorite format, but there's something about this that makes me chuckle. I thought it sounded like an impossible idea when it was announced, and the marketing doesn't really give you a great idea about the actual content of the story, but I'm definitely intrigued.